The Dog Cancer Survival Guide (59 page)

Diabetic dogs may need their insulin adjusted if they take oral melatonin. Dogs on calcium channel blockers (which are in some types of heart and blood pressure medications), fluoxetine (Prozac), and epileptic dogs should not take melatonin. Melatonin may also interfere with fertility.

In the past, there was some concern about the use of melatonin with immune-mediated disease. I believe this concern was likely unfounded, because melatonin is used to treat some of the common immune-mediated diseases.

The idea that sun is bad for cancer has been proven to be a myth in all but two dog cancers: squamous cell carcinoma and hemangiosarcoma of the skin or the eyelid. For all other cancers, getting some sun is good for dogs.

Sunlight stimulates the body to make high levels of vitamin D, which has a much stronger effect in the body than the vitamin D found in fortified milk or vitamin supplements. Hormonal vitamin D attaches to the outside of cancer cells and may slow angiogenesis, cancer cell division and metastasis. In human studies, sun exposure resulted in less cancer in thirteen different types of cancer.

The current recommendation for humans with light skin is 10-30 minutes of sun every day, while those with dark skin may need several hours. It is logical to apply the same recommendations
for dogs, who also have different skin colors (dogs with light coats usually have light skin, while dogs with dark coats usually have darker skin).

While natural sunlight is best, it is important to take some precautions. Your dog should not be allowed to overheat, for example. Hair needs to be clipped short, if your dog is outside in the sun for more than thirty minutes at 75°F or higher. Dogs with short muzzles (Boxers, Pugs and Bulldogs) are particularly susceptible to heat stroke. To be safe, I do not recommend being in direct sun for more than a few minutes, if the temperature is above 85°F, regardless of breed.

If natural sunlight is not available or if the heat is preventing your dog from enjoying it, you can use a UVB light therapy lamp. These lamps have been used with great success to treat depression in countries without a lot of sunlight, and I recommend getting one, if your dog can’t get direct sunshine. (Hint: the most beneficial wavelengths of light may burn out before the bulb dies, so change bulbs when recommended, regardless of whether it still lights up.)

I do not recommend supplementing with oral vitamin D, because not enough reaches the bloodstream to be effective as a cancer treatment, and the levels that do reach the bloodstream create toxicity.

“During Lucy’s chemo-therapy she was on Aloha Medicinals’ K-9 Immunity and K-9 Transfer Factor. Her doctor had warned us that she would probably develop lower white cell levels and maybe even stop eating, but during the entire four months of chemotherapy her blood levels were always well in the nor-mal ranges. Her food intake was good, and she remained a joyful Golden. Her doctor was always amazed at each week’s blood results and I attribute this to the K-9 Immunity and K-9 Transfer Factor she was on.”

– Shirley, Salem, Oregon

The bottom line on sunlight is this: unless your dog has squamous cell carcinoma or the hemangiosarcoma mentioned, get your dog out into the sun for some time each day. The hormonal vitamin D manufactured in the body when exposed to sunlight is a good addition to your Full Spectrum cancer care plan.

We’ve already covered the pros and cons of antioxidant supplementation in some detail; let’s summarize again.

Vitamins and minerals are vital for health. They are absolutely necessary, in order to make tens of thousands of normal body processes occur, including nerve communication, muscle movement, growth and development, hormone production and a wide range of other necessary functions.

Some vitamins also have antioxidant properties: they scavenge for and neutralize free radicals.

You’ll remember that some researchers believe that excessive free radicals are one of the causes of cancer. But it’s not as simple as “free radicals are bad for dogs with cancer.” In fact, some cancer treatments actually use free radicals to kill cancer cells (certain chemotherapy drugs, radiation, Apocaps, and artemisinin, to name a few).

Since antioxidants neutralize free radicals, I do not recommend massive doses of antioxidant vitamins, when you are using free radicals to treat cancer. If you’re going to give your dog a multivitamin, I recommend one that provides maintenance doses – just enough to satisfy the dog’s basic needs.

Conventional and alternative veterinarians sometimes argue about whether or not to use antioxidants for dogs on chemotherapy or radiation treatments. As you know by now, there are many factors to consider and there is no black and white answer. Each dog, each cancer and each treatment is unique and must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Some cancer treatments are pro-oxidant; they kill cancer cells by generating free radicals. These include: busulfan, carmustine, lomustine, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, carboplatin, ifosfamide, mechlorethamine, melphalan, thiotepa, dacarbazine, procarbazine, bleomycin, dactinomycin, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, idarubicin, mitomycin, mitoxantrone, plicamycin, etoposide, teniposide and radiation therapy.

If your dog is on one of these, there is a risk that you could suppress the drug’s free radical mechanism by giving a potent antioxidant formula (for example, Max GL, Poly MVA, or any other formula advertised as a potent antioxidant). I would also be careful about using herbs known to have potent antioxidant effects.

I would, however, recommend giving a dog on these drugs maintenance (low) levels of antioxidants, because there is enough evidence to show that human cancer patients on chemotherapy and radiation actually benefit from receiving low, dietary levels of maintenance vitamins and antioxidants. They experience shorter hospital stays and fewer side effects, for example. Some supplements with antioxidant properties also have other beneficial properties that may outweigh the theoretical impact on pro-oxidant therapies. These supplements and foods, in my opinion, are beneficial for cancer patients enough to use:

• A general multivitamin with low maintenance levels of antioxidants
  
• Cordyceps and other mushroom-derived polysaccharides, like those found in K-9 Immunity and K-9 Transfer Factor
  
• Fresh garlic (found in the dog cancer diet)
  
• Fresh ginger root (used for stomach upset and also in the dog cancer diet)
  
• Coenzyme Q-10 (ifindicated, seepage149)
  
• Fatty acid supplements (krill and fish oils, found in the dog cancer diet)
  
• Melatonin
  

Of course, each guardian must weigh the decision to use any supplement, including these, with her veterinary professional. The Supplement Hierarchy in
Appendix A
will also provide more food for thought.

I’m afraid that vitamin manufacturers have convinced us that we humans all need a “daily multivitamin.” Some guardians may generalize this belief and think their dog also needs a multi-vitamin.